On Tuesday night, Friends School Mullica Hill hosted the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office’s Cyber Crimes Unit. Parents heard from Det. Brian Pertricari about Internet safety and the reality of cyber bullying. For those of you who could not make the presentation, Teachers Patti and Nicole wanted to share some pertinent information as well as some outstanding tips on how to keep yourself and your children safe in our digital world. I want to thank T. Patti and T. Nicole for both bringing this presentation to our community and for taking the time to share the following information.
Cyber Bullies
There are different types of online bullies, which the Cyber Crimes Unit describes as “power-hungry bullies,” “mean girls” and “inadvertent bullies” who do not set out to hurt others but do it all the same. Helping your child identify what is appropriate and inappropriate online banter will help your child identify (and avoid) cyber bullies. If your child is faced with a bullying situation, the detectives suggested Cyberbullying.org and StopCyberBullying.com as two helpful resources.
There are different types of online bullies, which the Cyber Crimes Unit describes as “power-hungry bullies,” “mean girls” and “inadvertent bullies” who do not set out to hurt others but do it all the same. Helping your child identify what is appropriate and inappropriate online banter will help your child identify (and avoid) cyber bullies. If your child is faced with a bullying situation, the detectives suggested Cyberbullying.org and StopCyberBullying.com as two helpful resources.
Online Predators
The presenters also talked openly about online predators who identify themselves as your children’s peers, but are not. The best way to protect your children from interacting with predators is not to “friend” people who you don’t know personally. Have an honest discussion about what is appropriate to share with others – photos, personal information, etc. – even to close friends. Explain that without meaning to, information can get into the wrong hands.
The presenters also talked openly about online predators who identify themselves as your children’s peers, but are not. The best way to protect your children from interacting with predators is not to “friend” people who you don’t know personally. Have an honest discussion about what is appropriate to share with others – photos, personal information, etc. – even to close friends. Explain that without meaning to, information can get into the wrong hands.
Safety Parameters
1. To help monitor your child’s safety, you should ask you child to share all usernames and passwords with you. If your child is on Facebook, be sure and have an open conversation with him or her about how Facebook should be used. Show your child the “Privacy & Terms” section as well as the “Data Use Policy” and the section called “Some Other Things” that talks about rights and responsibilities. Because Facebook changes its privacy settings and regulations often, you can “like” the Facebook security, safety and privacy pages so that when there are updates, you will be notified.
2. Have a Mac? Make sure the “sharing” feature is turned off.
3. Internet safety experts often explain that one of the most important things you can do to keep your child safe is to keep all electronics out of your child’s bedroom. Keeping computers, laptops, etc. in your general family living space allows you to keep better tabs on what your child is busy doing online.
4. To protect your children (and your own information, especially if you bank online, pay bills, etc.) make sure your wireless network is secure. Google your modem model to find out how to make your wireless router secure so that unwanted visitors do not have access to your information.
Parents of Younger ChildrenFor those parents with young children, this information may feel remote. However, statistics show that children as young as 8 years old tend to begin experimenting with social media. These children should know at the very basic level that there are online dangers. Of course, we want to keep in mind that many of this information can be scary to young children if not presented from a proactive (rather than a reactive) point of view.
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